gary
Gary Dean Gullett’s professional life is defined by range rather than repetition. Over the decades, he has worked in corporate leadership, sports officiating, education, photography, aviation, and international travel. Yet what makes his journey distinctive is not simply the number of fields he has entered, but the way each experience has informed the next. His story is one of layered careers that gradually built a unified approach to leadership, discipline, exploration, and community involvement.
Born in Marshalltown, Iowa, and raised in central Iowa, Gullett’s early environment was shaped by rural life, family responsibility, and hands-on work. Time spent on his grandparents’ farm in Baxter, Iowa introduced him to outdoor living, wildlife, and seasonal routines that required patience and observation. At the same time, working at his father’s lumberyard in Newton gave him early exposure to structured labor and accountability. These contrasting experiences, one rooted in nature and the other in commerce, later became visible in his professional identity.
During his school years, Gullett developed interests that were both academic and exploratory. He was active in scouting, where he advanced through Cub Scout, Webelo, and Boy Scout levels. His interest in numismatics also stood out early. He was one of only seven students nationally selected for a scholarship to attend the American Numismatic Association’s national convention in Colorado Springs, where he won first place in the junior division. In 1973, at the age of 16, he was elected president of the Newton, Iowa, coin club, demonstrating an early ability to combine personal interests with leadership.
Sports were another strong influence. Gullett participated in numerous athletic activities and was named Senior Athlete of the Year in tennis. He also became the Jasper County Junior Trapshooting Champion in 1974. These achievements reflected not only skill but also focus and competitive discipline, traits that later supported his long career in basketball officiating.
After high school, he attended the University of Northern Iowa, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management with an emphasis in Organizational Management and a minor in coaching. His college undergraduate years included a temporary interruption when he was removed from a required class because of disruptive behavior. He later reenrolled, completed the course, and ultimately graduated in 1983. During this period, he also became a licensed private pilot and a PADI-certified scuba diver, marking the beginning of lifelong interests in aviation and exploration.
His education continued later in life when he earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2006, graduating cum laude. This advanced education aligned with his growing responsibilities in corporate leadership and reinforced his ability to manage complex systems across industries.
Professionally, Gullett built a strong foundation in Fortune 100 companies. His work at John Deere, Westinghouse Electric Company, United Technologies, and Motorola placed him in roles that required strategic planning, global coordination, technical oversight, and operational discipline. Earlier, at Westinghouse and United Technologies, he worked on high-level aerospace and defense programs involving platforms such as the AV-8B Harrier, V-22 Osprey, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Taiwan Indigenous Defense Fighter, and M1 Abrams Tank.
At Motorola, where he worked from 2000 to 2009, Gullett held leadership positions including Global Operations Manager and Outsourcing Operations Manager. He developed and managed global supplier programs involving corporate social responsibility, quality systems, financial viability, IT security, and operational resilience. His initiatives contributed to improved supplier performance, reduced compliance issues, lower costs, and more efficient inventory and manufacturing cycles.
In 1999, Gullett founded Adventure Safari Network, a travel company focused on immersive international experiences. Unlike conventional tourism businesses, the venture grew around wildlife, exploration, education, and cultural understanding. Its destinations have included Africa, Alaska, and India, each offering opportunities to experience environments and cultures far removed from ordinary travel routines.
Adventure Safari Network eventually developed from a one-person operation into a family-run organization. His daughter, Michelle Gullett, joined the company as Marketing and IT Director in 2009, while his wife, Elizabeth Gullett, serves as CFO. Together, the family has helped maintain the personal character of the business while supporting its continued development to 18 associates.
The company’s community involvement extends beyond international travel. Gary and Elizabeth established the Adventure Safari Network Foundation to provide educational outdoor experiences for young people and promote environmental awareness and conservation. Gullett regularly speaks with students in Iowa and Illinois about different countries and the wider world, often using foreign coins and his wildlife photography to make those lessons tangible.
That same community spirit appears in local events organized through the Adventure Safari Network office. One example is the company’s annual Santa Day, when the office is transformed into Santa’s workshop for local children and their families. The event combines a visit with Santa with crafts, a hayride through the surrounding forest, and an outdoor fire where children can roast marshmallows and make s’mores alongside hot chocolate or cider.
The experience is deliberately community-driven. Santa is a local hospital CEO who participates with his wife, Mrs. Claus, and their daughter, who takes on the role of an elf. Parents provide private notes and small gifts ahead of time, allowing Santa to surprise each child by referencing details that only the child would know. Children and families also receive electronic portraits with Santa, while neighbors contribute the hayrides and help supervise crafts and the outdoor activities. The nearby white-tailed deer even provide the inspiration for the event’s playful “reindeer” search while on the hayride.
Another important part of Gullett’s professional identity is photography. As a wildlife and nature photographer, he has documented landscapes, animals, glaciers, and remote environments across multiple continents. His work has appeared in publications including the Rockford Register Star, Des Moines Register, Referee Magazine, Ogle County Life, and The Earth Scientist. His photography was also featured throughout the 2016 Mayo Clinic Calendar. He has authored two photography books and has presented programs on Antarctica, conservation, and the natural world.
His commitment to education extends into photography instruction as well. Since 1999, Gullett has taught digital photography through continuing education programs at eight northern Illinois community colleges. He developed 24 photography classes and helped coordinate curriculum, scheduling, and instructors, bringing technical and creative instruction to adult learners across the region.
Basketball officiating represents another long-running dimension of his career. From 1978 through 2012, Gullett officiated across Iowa, Ohio, and Illinois, eventually reaching the Illinois High School Boys State Final Series in 2008 and 2009. He was named Illinois Boys Basketball Official of the Year in 2012 and achieved the highest IHSA rating of Certified Official. In 2025, he was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame as an official.
That recognition has also inspired a new effort to celebrate the broader officiating community in northern Illinois. Gullett organized an annual summer cookout event to recognize local basketball referees for achievements including tournament experience, retirements, the passing of officials or their family members, and other noteworthy milestones. The gathering is intended to include VIP and notable guests from the officiating world and provide a setting where referees can receive recognition for contributions that often take place away from public attention. Gullett’s own Hall of Fame induction helped inspire the idea.
What makes Gullett’s career unique is how these different paths intersect rather than stand apart. His corporate experience taught him systems thinking. His officiating career developed his decision-making ability and maintaining control in pressure-packed environments. His travel company reflected his passion for exploration. His photography added a creative visual and educational dimension. His community initiatives created opportunities to share those interests with people closer to home.
Even his interests in aviation and scuba diving reflect this pattern. As a licensed private pilot since 1980 and a PADI-certified scuba diver since 1978, he developed a personal understanding of both air and underwater environments, reinforcing his comfort with complex and unpredictable settings.
Today, Gary Dean Gullett’s professional journey stands as an example of how multiple careers can evolve into a unified life framework. Rather than following a single path, he built a career that connects business, sport, education, photography, community service, and exploration into one continuous narrative. Each phase contributed skills that strengthened the next, resulting in a professional legacy defined not by one title, but by the ability to move confidently across many worlds.